Beaufort City Council continues support of local option sales tax
The city of Beaufort is making clear its support of a 1 percent sales tax that would raise additional revenue and provide property-tax relief.
City Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the tax at its meeting Tuesday. The tax is one of two being considered by Beaufort County as part of a fall referendum.
Bluffton approved a similar resolution Tuesday, and Port Royal is expected to vote on one Wednesday.
Municipal leaders from Bluffton, Port Royal and Beaufort met last week to discuss the tax, as well as a sales tax to raise money for capital projects, which the county also is considering.
The former would be a 1 percent sales tax to raise more revenue for municipalities and the county in exchange for property-tax relief for residents. The latter would also be a 1 percent sales tax, but it would be used to pay for specific projects and end when the money for those projects has been raised.
Either tax would have to be approved by county voters in a referendum.
County Council is expected to vote March 24 on whether to put the tax proposals on the ballot in the fall general election. The council's Governmental Committee voted Tuesday to pass the decision along to the full council.
Neither Tuesday's vote nor the full council's vote are an endorsement of the taxes, merely a decision to let voters decide, according to County Councilman Jerry Stewart.
"The municipalities have asked us to do this, and we owe it to our partners to do this," County Councilman Brian Flewelling added.
"Council has once, twice, this would be the third time, gone on record in support of local-option sales tax," Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said.
City Councilman Mike Sutton said the tax is one of the only ways residents will see a rollback on their taxes. By state law, localities that adopt the tax must use 70 percent of proceeds to reduce property taxes.
Councilman George O'Kelley Jr. bristled at the notion that city government should check spending rather than implement a new tax.
"We maintain austerity whenever we can, in cutting budgets and keeping (spending) within reason," he said. "We don't spend money just to spend it. We don't spend money frivolously."
Follow reporter Erin Moody at twitter.com/IPBG_Erin.
Related content:
- Waterfront Beaufort, Port Royal, Bluffton rallying behind local option sales tax, March 4, 2014
- Beaufort officials consider increasing initial phase of mooring field, Feb. 18, 2014
- City Council weighs in on $202,000 list of grants for marketing, tourism, Feb. 25, 2014
This story was originally published March 11, 2014 at 11:54 AM with the headline "Beaufort City Council continues support of local option sales tax."